Device that prevents glasses from falling out of someone&#39;s pocket

ABSTRACT

A device( 10 ) which protects an object such as a pair of eyeglasses (G) from being damaged by accidentally or inadvertently falling out a person&#39;s shirt pocket (S) or pants&#39; pocket (P). The device comprises a first clip ( 12 ) which grips a portion of the eyeglass&#39; frame such as the sidepiece (E) that fits over an ear. The device further includes a second clip ( 14 ) which clips onto the cloth of the pocket. Since the eyeglasses are now clipped to a pocket, they are not, and cannot be, readily dislodged and so will not fall out of the pocket when a person leans or bends over.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

N/A

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a protector for a pair of eyeglasses and thelike; and more particularly, to a device which grips a shirt pocket orpants pocket as well as a part of the eyeglass' frame so to prevent theglasses from accidentally falling out of a person's pocket and beingdamaged.

Many people who wear eyeglasses often carry them in a shirt pocket orpants pocket when the glasses are not being worn. Eyeglasses areexpensive. Accordingly, when a person leans or bends over, they do notwant their glasses to accidentally fall out of their pocket, strike thefloor or a piece of furniture and be damaged.

Eyeglass cases or holders can be used to store the eyeglasses when notbeing worn, and while these do protect the glasses if they fall out of aperson's pocket, they are often of a size that does not conveniently fitin a pocket. Or, they can be misplaced or forgotten in which instance,the glasses are again at risk.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a device which protects a pair ofeyeglasses from being damaged by accidentally or inadvertently fallingout a person's shirt or pants' pocket. The device comprises a first clipwhich grips a portion of the eyeglass' frame such as the sidepiece thatfits over an ear. The device further comprises a second clip which clipsonto the cloth of the shirt pocket or pants' pocket. Since theeyeglasses are now clipped to a pocket, they are not, and cannot, bereadily dislodged and so will not fall if a person leans or bends over.

The first and second clips can extend orthogonally of each other, orthey can pivotally mounted relative to each other.

The device is made of a lightweight, sturdy plastic material that hassome degree of flexibility. The device is relatively small in size so tobe readily stored in a shirt pocket or pants' pocket when not in use.The device is readily attached both to the glasses' frame and the shirtpocket or pants' pocket of the wearer.

The device is low cost and is available in a variety of colors.

Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointedout hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects of the invention are achieved as set forth in theillustrative embodiments shown in the drawings which form a part of thespecification.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the device;

FIG. 2 illustrates use of the device to secure a pair of eyeglasses in ashirt pocket;

FIG. 3 illustrates use of the device to secure a pair of eyeglasses in apants pocket; and,

FIG. 4 is an elevation view of a second embodiment of the device.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

The following detailed description illustrates the invention by way ofexample and not by way of limitation. This description clearly enablesone skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and describesseveral embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives and uses ofthe invention, including what is presently believed to be the best modeof carrying out the invention. Additionally, it is to be understood thatthe invention is not limited in its application to the details ofconstruction and the arrangement of components set forth in thefollowing description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention iscapable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out invarious ways. Also, it will be understood that the phraseology andterminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should notbe regarded as limiting.

Referring to the drawings, a device 10 of the present invention is forprotecting a pair of eyeglasses G from being damaged by accidentally orinadvertently falling out a person's shirt pocket S or pants' pocket P.Device 10 first comprises a clip 12 which grips the cloth of shirtpocket S or pants' pocket P. As shown in FIG. 1, clip 12 is of a singlepiece construction and has two segments 12 a and 12 b which extendparallel to each other substantially the length of the clip. The innerfaces of each segment 12 a and 12 b are rippled, as shown in FIG. 1.This facilitates the clip gripping the fabric of the shirt pocket orpants' pocket.

Device 10 further comprises a second clip 14 which grips onto eyeglass'frame F. As shown in the drawings, clip 14, which extends orthogonallyof clip 12, grips onto a side piece E of frame F, sidepiece E extendingalong the side of the wearer's face and fitting over their ear when theglasses are worn. Again as shown in FIG. 1, clip 14 is also of a singlepiece construction with two segments 14 a and 14 b which extend parallelto each other substantially the length of the clip. As with clip 12, theinner faces of each segment 14 a and 14 b are rippled, as shown in FIG.1 to facilitate the clip gripping the side piece E of frame F.

Device 10 is a of a single piece molded plastic construction, theplastic being a lightweight, sturdy plastic material that has somedegree of flexibility. Device 10 is also relatively small in size so,when removed, it is readily stored in the user's shirt pocket or pants'pocket.

Further, device 10 readily attaches both to the glasses' frame and theuser's shirt pocket or pants' pocket. Importantly, once the eyeglassesare clipped in place, they are not, and cannot be, readily dislodgedwhen the leans or bends over. Thus, the glasses cannot fall out of thepocket and be damaged.

Those skilled in the art will understand that besides eyeglasses, device10 can also be used to secure other objects in a shirt pocket or pants'pocket. These could include such things as a comb, credit card case orwallet, or keys, for example.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 4, a second embodiment of the device isindicated generally 20. As with device 10, device 20 has first andsecond clips 22 and 24 each of which is the same in construction asclips 12 and 14. Now, however, rather than being of a single piececonstruction, clips 22 and 24 are separate pieces which are hingedlyconnected together by a hinge 26. This now allows one clip to be rotatedwith respect to the other which, in some applications, makes it easierto grip an object to be kept in the user's pocket.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects andadvantages of the present disclosure have been achieved and otheradvantageous results have been obtained.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:
 1. A device for protecting an object frombeing damaged by accidentally or inadvertently falling out a person'sshirt or pants' pocket comprising: a first clip which clips onto thecloth of a shirt pocket or pants' pocket; and, a second clip which gripsonto a portion of the object, whereby since the object is now clipped toa pocket, it cannot be readily dislodged from the pocket and will notfall if a person leans or bends over.
 2. The device of claim 1 in whicheach clip has two segments extending parallel to each othersubstantially the length of the clip.
 3. The device of claim 2 in whichthe inner faces of each clip segment are contoured to facilitate theclip gripping the fabric of a pocket or a portion of the object.
 4. Thedevice of claim 1 which is of a single piece molded plasticconstruction.
 5. The device of claim 2 in which the clips extendorthogonally of each other.
 6. The device of claim 3 in which the clipsare separate pieces and the device further includes a hinge for hingedlyconnecting the two clips together whereby one clip be rotatable withrespect to the other clip so to facilitate gripping an object.